Clay Kirby Stats & Facts

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Clay Kirby

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
6-3, 175lb (190cm, 79kg)
Born: June 25, 1948 in Washington, DC us
Died: October 11, 1991 in Arlington, VA
Buried: National Memorial Park, Falls Church, VA
Draft: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 1966 MLB June Amateur Draft from Washington-Lee HS (Arlington, VA).
High School: Washington-Lee HS (Arlington, VA)
Debut: April 11, 1969 (12,804th in major league history)
vs. SFG 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 SO, 2 BB, 3 ER, L
Last Game: September 28, 1976
vs. NYM 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER
Full Name: Clayton Laws Kirby
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

 

Notable Events and Chronology for Clay Kirby

Jerry Kidman sets the Mets strikeout record

Jerry Kidman sets the Mets strikeout record

clay kirby

Clay Kirby removed for a pinch hitter with a no hitter

clay kirby

San Diego’s Clay Kirby allows just one hit – a wind-blown homer in the 8th by Willie McCovey – in beating the Giants, 2 – 1

Wasting a heroic pitching effort by starter Clay Kirby, the Padres lose to the Astros, 2 - 1, in 21 innings. Kirby hurls 15 innings and strikes out 15 men.

Wasting a heroic pitching effort by starter Clay Kirby, the Padres lose to the Astros, 2 – 1, in 21 innings. Kirby hurls 15 innings and strikes out 15 men.

Astros' infielder Dave Campbell hits a first-inning two-run double against San Diego right-hander Clay Kirby to snap a 0-for-45 drought, tying a major league record set in 1909 by Bill Bergen, a catcher who played with Brooklyn. 'Soup', who will become a respected national baseball broadcaster, endured the futility while playing for three teams, combining a 17 at-bat hitless streak with the Padres and another 21 at-bats hitless streak for the Cardinals before hitting the two-bagger in his eighth at-bat with Houston.

Astros’ infielder Dave Campbell hits a first-inning two-run double against San Diego right-hander Clay Kirby to snap a 0-for-45 drought, tying a major league record set in 1909 by Bill Bergen, a catcher who played with Brooklyn. ‘Soup’, who will become a respected national baseball broadcaster, endured the futility while playing for three teams, combining a 17 at-bat hitless streak with the Padres and another 21 at-bats hitless streak for the Cardinals before hitting the two-bagger in his eighth at-bat with Houston.

The Big Red Machine... Bobby Tolan, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Lee May and Pete Rose

Cincinnati trades OF Bobby Tolan and P Dave Tomlin to San Diego for P Clay Kirby

Wilson_Don

Don Wilson is taken out after eight innings of no-hit ball

1974 - Bobby Tolan, traded by Cincinnati for P Clay Kirby on November 9, 1973, finally signs a 1974 contract with the Padres, leading to a withdrawal of the grievance initiated by the Players' Association on his behalf.

1974 – Bobby Tolan, traded by Cincinnati for P Clay Kirby on November 9, 1973, finally signs a 1974 contract with the Padres, leading to a withdrawal of the grievance initiated by the Players’ Association on his behalf.

Will McEnaney provides 3 1/3 innings of hitless relief to seal the Reds' 7 - 1 win over the Mets. Clay Kirby gets the win.

Will McEnaney provides 3 1/3 innings of hitless relief to seal the Reds’ 7 – 1 win over the Mets. Clay Kirby gets the win.

For the third time in four days, the Reds win on an extra-inning home run. This time, Johnny Bench belts a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 12th and the Reds whip the Astros, 9 - 6. Clay Kirby gets the decision.

For the third time in four days, the Reds win on an extra-inning home run. This time, Johnny Bench belts a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 12th and the Reds whip the Astros, 9 – 6. Clay Kirby gets the decision.

The Padres remain the only franchise in the majors never to have seen one of their pitchers throw a no-hitter, as the latest bid, by Jordan Lyles, falls short against the Rockies. He retires 22 straight batters, the last being a strikeout of Carlos Gonzalez to open the 8th inning, but sees his dream snapped when Trevor Story follows with a single to left. The Padres win, 4 - 0, and many believe the team has been cursed since July 21, 1970, when manager Preston Gomez took the fateful decision of lifting Clay Kirby for a pinch-hitter after allowing a run but no hits through 8 innings against the Mets, only to see reliever Jack Baldschun allow 2 runs on 3 hits in the 9th to spoil the bid. Only two San Diego pitchers have made it as far as the 9th inning without allowing a hit since that day.

The Padres remain the only franchise in the majors never to have seen one of their pitchers throw a no-hitter, as the latest bid, by Jordan Lyles, falls short against the Rockies. He retires 22 straight batters, the last being a strikeout of Carlos Gonzalez to open the 8th inning, but sees his dream snapped when Trevor Story follows with a single to left. The Padres win, 4 – 0, and many believe the team has been cursed since July 21, 1970, when manager Preston Gomez took the fateful decision of lifting Clay Kirby for a pinch-hitter after allowing a run but no hits through 8 innings against the Mets, only to see reliever Jack Baldschun allow 2 runs on 3 hits in the 9th to spoil the bid. Only two San Diego pitchers have made it as far as the 9th inning without allowing a hit since that day.

Clay Kirby Biography

Saddled with little support at San Diego, Kirby lost 20 games (the league high) as a rookie in 1969, and 18 in 1973, but registered a fine 15-13 (231 strikeouts) with the last-place Padres in 1971. He was 12-9 and 10-6 with the heavy-hitting Reds in 1974 and 1975.

On July 21, 1970 manager Preston Gomez of the Padres pinch hit for Kirby in the eighth inning of a game against the Mets in which he had not allowed a hit, but was losing 1-0. On September 4, 1974 Kirby was in the Reds’ dugout when the Astros’ Don Wilson was losing a no-hitter 2-1 after eight innings. Kirby’s teammate Don Gullett asked what the odds were that Gomez, managing the Astros, would pinch hit for Wilson; Kirby replied, “I guarantee he will.” He was right.

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